Martine McCutcheon, the EastEnders actress turned chart-topping
singer, has been signed to star in the opening salvo of WH Smith’s
multi-million-pound pre-Christmas television campaign.
She turns up in the unlikely role of a carol singer giving a doorstep
rendition of her hit song, Perfect Moment, in a commercial breaking
nationally on Monday.
It is the first of 21 films produced by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
featuring the comedy actor, Nicholas Lyndhurst, who continues playing
all four members of a dysfunctional family.
For McCutcheon, the commercial marks her second appearance in a TV
campaign since making her debut for Woolworths. It ties in with a
special price offer at WH Smith on her new album, You, Me and Us.
In the commercial, Lyndhurst plays Sascha, the daughter of the family,
who is being plagued by carol singers.
She opens the front door and quickly slams it shut when she finds an odd
bunch of singers performing a terrible version of Ding Dong Merrily On
High. When the doorbell rings again an irate Sascha answers it only to
faint with the shock of finding McCutcheon singing alone.
The commercial was written by Mike Nicholson, art directed by Daryl
Corps and directed by Sid Roberson of Roberson Films. Media is being
bought by Motive.
AMV drafted in Lyndhurst to create his multi-faceted role after it took
over the WH Smith creative assignment from Bartle Bogle Hegarty in May
1996.
The series of commercials is being used to show the variety of Christmas
gift ideas available at the retailer which is also the UK’s largest
bookseller.
The chain has 700 stores and claims 7.5 million regular shoppers and 5.5
million loyalty card scheme members.
